Month: August 2014

Introverts use words related to anime and emoticons, whereas extroverts use words like “party” “baby” and “ya”

People that are “open” are intelligent, and talk about “dreams” and the “universe” (apparently), using descriptive words, and people that are “not open” are unintelligent, and use words like “u” “wat” “gud” “wen”

Language Features: -Neologisms-, Individual Identity, Group IdentityCourse Aspects: Unit 4 - AoS 2: Individual and Group Identities: Social and personal variation in language according to factors such as age, gender, occupation, interests, aspiration and education, the ways in which the language of individuals and the language of groups is shaped by social expectations and community attitudes

Personal Opinion: I think that this article and the study in the article is absolute bull#$!^. Being an introvert is a personality where the person doesn’t care about other people as much as themselves, and the study basing someone being an introvert by liking anime, playing video games and using emoticons is ridiculous.

“Quotes”:

“Neurotic people disproportionately use the phrase ‘sick of’ and the word ‘depressed.’”

“males use the possessive ‘my’ when mentioning their wife or girlfriend more often than females use ‘my’ with ‘husband’ or ‘boyfriend.’”

“introverts make heavy use of emoticons and words related to anime, but extroverts say “party,” “baby,” and “ya.””

Our nation is one of the most diverse places in the world in terms of language and heritage.

It has sparked from immigrants who settled here and built their lives.

Many people are getting their Australian citizenship.

Our national identity is changing drastically and ‘being Australian’ is constantly being redefined.

Freedom of speech is a crucial part of Australian identity, as there are so many different races in the country.

Language Features: Australian Identity, Exclusive Language (code switching (a little bit)), Individual identityCourse Aspects: Unit 4 - AoS 1 - Language Variation in Australian Society: The role of language in constructing national identity, the role of Standard and non-Standard English in Australian society

Personal Opinion: I believe that Australia’s identity is all about multiculturalism and that freedom of speech for ALL Australians is an amazing thing to have in this country. Many races who live in other countries don’t have as many opportunities to speak out or do anything that can show their own identity.

“Quotes”:

“We have accepted the continuing development of our national identity and successfully engaged in more than six decades of constant redefinition of what it means to be Australian. This isn’t about discarding elements of who and what we are – there will always be a place for the indigenous and British heritage of this country – but it means our traditions are changing, and embracing the best of what the world has brought to our door.”

“In contrast, offending or insulting people because of race, colour, national or ethnic origin or religious beliefs sends a message that such people are not welcome members of our society.”

“Our nation has been energised by the immigrants who have settled here and demonstrated the greatest of enterprise.”

Australian politicians aren’t speaking correctly – they are the poorest speakers in the English-speaking world.

Australia’s speech manner is seen as “unthreatening” and are perceived as “laid-back” to other countries

Schools are not teaching students adequate communication skills

Wants everyone to value verbal expression as equal to literacy and numeracy.

Language Features: Prescriptivism, Neologisms, Australian SlangCourse Aspects: Unit 3&4 - AoS 1;1 - Informal Language & Language Variation in Australian Society: the role of Standard and non-Standard English in creating formal and informal texts, the role of Standard and non-Standard English in Australian society

Personal Opinion: I think that politicians should have basic knowledge of how to speak, when most of them (sometimes mainly Tony Abbott) can’t even say words like ‘Government’ correctly. Because when you speak to a national audience, everyone is watching you and listening to you, and they will immediately either hate you or like you depending on what you say and how you say it. I don’t believe it is wholly the schools fault for not giving students adequate communication skills, and I certainly don’t believe that verbal expression is as important as literacy and numeracy.

“Quotes”:

“It is typically Australian to be suspicious of people who speak too well.”

“The unified Aussie accent is a complex soup of many accented languages – including English, German, Aboriginal, Irish, Scottish, Italian, Greek, as well as more recent regional influences.”

“Australian speech patterns reflect a long-standing cultural imperative to communicate understatedly and stoically – and to be wary of bullshitting.”

“If Australia does have a national speech problem, then our schools are culpable for failing to equip students with adequate communication skills.”